


Make My Starry Eyes Shiver

by hazelandglasz



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, M/M, beauty pageant, just a bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelandglasz/pseuds/hazelandglasz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>bacchibacchi asked: "we used to be rivals in kiddie beauty pageants and talent shows, but then you kinda disappeared, we just found each other again by accident and goddamn, get a look at you now” AU with Klaine (and maybe the reason Kurt stopped was because his mom died). Thank you so much for considering this! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make My Starry Eyes Shiver

**Author's Note:**

> title inspired by Roxy Music "Beauty Queen"

Blaine loves going to the shows with Mama and Cooper.

It is just to see Cooper do his dance routine on stage, but then one of the ladies that smell like Aunt Esme looks at him and ask Mama if Blaine is entering the “competition”.

“With eyelashes like those, he’s a shoo-in,” she says, pinching his cheeks until Blaine bats her hand away. “Oh, and feisty too!”

Mama lifts Blaine to her hip and smiles at the lady. “Today it’s just for Cooper,” she replies, “but maybe next time.”

Blaine sticks his thumb in his mouth and looks at the other babies on stage.

“Doesn’t it look fun, Blainey?” Mama asks, and Blaine nods, watching a boy get a [vivid orange scarf](http://www.childmodelsadvice.com/images/new-england-girl-and-boy-new-england-overall-winner-boys-023months-21248431.jpg)\--it’s so shiny and pretty! “Maybe next time you can compete too!”

“Like ‘Ooper?”

“Exactly like Cooper.”

Blaine smiles and returns his eyes to the stage.

It really looks like they’re having fun.

\---

_Four years later_

“Mooom!”

Elizabeth smiles as she arranges Kurt’s bow tie. “Let me just arrange your tie, honey bunny.”

Kurt rolls his eyes. “Mom, it’s fii-iine!”

She swears she can hear Burt snorting in the hallway as he takes [pictures of them](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.lemondrop.com/media/2009/09/boy-pageants-tlc-1253739618.jpg).

“Are you sure?” she asks, putting her chin in her hand. “Because you know that Blaine is going to be here, and I would hate for you to lose to him because of a crooked bow tie …”

Kurt’s eyes widen. “Fix it! Fix my tie, Mommy!”

Elizabeth bites on her lips to keep from smiling too widly.

Her little competitor hates losing to Blaine, just as she knows that Blaine can’t stand losing to Kurt.

Losing to anybody else is apparently fine, but to each other?

_Drama, drama, drama._

She laughs about their sour losing attitudes with Pam Anderson over their respective glasses of apple juice.

Six years old, and already a massive competitive strike--Elizabeth is almost sad that she will only get to see Kurt in beauty pageants for four more years.

Well, unless Kurt continues to Mr. America or Mr. Uni--no, actually, no, it’s better if they all enjoy those four remaining years.

She would hate for her baby to turn into a mass of muscles.

\---

_Two years later_

Blaine fidgets in his tuxedo and Pam doesn’t even bother trying to tell him to stop--she knows why he’s so agitated.

Kurt isn’t here yet, and there is only a couple of minutes before the 8-10 years olds are supposed to start walking down the runway.

Not for the first time, Pam wishes that she had been closer to Elizabeth Hummel and gotten her phone number. That way she could call and check if they are coming, if something happened, and appease her son.

Despite being each other’s number one competition, she knows how the two little boys are becoming friends in this ruthless environment.

“Anderson, showtime!” the assistant calls and Blaine straightens up, arranging his [waistcoat](http://asset1.marksandspencer.com/is/image/mands/PL_04_T87_8749G_Y0_X_EC_0?%24PDP_PROD_IMAGE_IPAD%24).

He looks up at her with a shy smile before turning on his “show face.”

“Do you know if the Hummel boy is competing this year?” Pam discreetly asks the assistant while Blaine charms the jury with his smile and impeccable pose.

“Haven’t you heard?” the assistant replies with wide eyes. “Mrs. Hummel passed away last May.”

“Oh goodness,” Pam gasps, her hand covering her mouth. “Poor Kurt.”

“Cleared the way for your boy to win though,” one mother says nearby, loud enough for Pam to hear.

“How _dare_ you,” Pam says, quiet fury taking over as she walks towards the woman who spoke, “Elizabeth was as close as friend as two mothers can be in this … world,” she says, making a gesture to encompass their surroundings. “Don’t you dare think that her death makes me happy.”

The woman looks properly chastised and mutters an apology just as Blaine returns backstage, applause following his retreat.

“Is everything alright Mama?” he asks sweetly, taking her shaking hands between his.

“Yes Blainey,” she replies, eyes filling with tears.

Blaine smiles up at her before looking around with a small frown. “Has Kurt arrived? I need to show him my tie, I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Pam can see the other mothers looking at her in sympathy. “I’m sure he would, _dayong_ , but he’s not coming today.”

Blaine’s eyes widen. “B-but … why?”

“I have something sad to tell you,” Pam says, picking him up and struggling a bit to seat him on her hip like she used to. At eight, Blaine is not as easy to hug as he used to.

Blaine puts his little hand on her shoulder. “Something sad?”

“Yes, baby,” she says, taking a moment to find her words, “and it’s about Kurt’s mommy …”

\---

_Fourteen years later_

“Come on, Kurt, it will be fun!”

“Absolutely not.”

“Kurt …”

“Rachel, I said no.”

Rachel huffs and puffs, but Kurt will not change his mind.

But why is Santana smiling at him like that? And what are those pictures she’s fanning herself with?

“You used to love beauty pageants, Kurt,” Santana says sweetly--too sweetly. “The least you could do would be to wear that sash back, for charity.”

Kurt can actually feel the colors draining from his face. “Wha-what are those pictures?”

“You know exactly what they are, Mister Sunburst.”

_Oh no._

“And after all, it’s only showing your stuff on stage for a teeny tiny pageant,” Santana continues, holding up the pictures for Rachel to see. “Did I say that it was for charity?”

Kurt closes his eyes. “Yes you did, but Santana, I haven’t competed in ten years.”

“I know.”

“Not since my mom _died_ , Santana.”

That makes the smile disappear--only for a moment. “Then it’s a good way to honor her memory--only once, Kurt, come on!”

Kurt wants to be annoyed, he really is, and he wishes they would stop pestering him into entering this … Mr. Bushwick pageant to help the local teenager shelter, but he can remember how much fun it used to be.

“Alright,” he finally says with a sigh, “but you better make sure that I win.”

“Consider that ballot yours,” Rachel says, clapping her hands. “Oh it’s going to be so much fun!”

“Speak for yourself,” Kurt mutters, already wondering what outfit he should wear for the event.

\--

Blaine frowns at his roommates. “You did _what_?”

“We entered you along with us to the neighborhood's pageant,” Mike replies with a disarming smile. “You’re the only one with the … hands-on experience, and it will be fun?”

“For whom?” Blaine asks, rolling his eyes away from Mike--his puppy eyes are too much to resist, but he meets Sam’s instead and it’s frankly not helping him stand his ground.

“For all of us, bro!” Sam exclaims, putting his arm around Blaine’s shoulders. “You know that it will be fun.”

Blaine huffs and sighs. “... Is it a talent show?”

“You bet your sweet ass it is!”

Blaine raises one eyebrow. “Got something to share with the class, Samuel?”

Sam shrugs. “Don’t have to be gay to have eyes, bro.”

Blaine feels the laughter building up as he blushes at the compliment. “Fine, I’m in,” he finally says, “but don’t come crying to me when I leave you two in the dust.”

Mike and Sam wolf-call after him, but Blaine smiles as he walks to his room.

Now what to wear, and what to do …

\--

Kurt almost chokes on his gulp of water when he hears the name of the first man called up to the stage.

“ _Anderson_?” he repeats as Santana pats a tissue to the drop of water that fell on his [lapel](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/84/17/c5/8417c5828493f39ec37791b3593837cf.jpg). “Blaine Anderson?”

“Yep, that’s what she said,” Santana says before snickering at her involuntary joke. “Baby got back, too,” she muses, peeking behind the curtain. “Hey!”

Kurt doesn’t bother with an apology as he pushes her out of the way to have a look.

It’s Blaine alright, wearing a beige [suit ](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ed/20/9b/ed209bfff09039097122037b6caee9fb.jpg)that truly highlights his body in the best way as he moves across the stage, singing his heart out.

Kurt does his best to tune him out, because holy rollerblading cheesecake did Blaine grow up fine.

I mean, capital F fine.

“Would you look at that,” he whispers in spite of himself, smiling--probably like an idiot--as Blaine sings “Teenage Dreams”, and seriously who does that without being completely ridiculous?

Blaine Fucking Anderson, that’s who.

_Hot damn._

“Looks like the pocket-sized prince has it in the bag,” Santana says, leaning her chin on his shoulder, and that’s all Kurt needed to gather his wits.

No way is he going to let Blaine win without a fight.

He never did when they were kids, and he’s not about to start now.

“Oh, I love that fire in your eyes, Hummel,” Santana purrs, arranging his tie. “Go get him.”

Kurt raises one eyebrow.

“It. I mean, go get it.”

“Sure you did.”

\--

Blaine is backstage when he hears the name being announced, and at first he doesn’t believe his ears.

Is it possible?

After all these years?

They’re both in Bushwick?

Blaine goes to the curtains to look at the stage, and he momentarily forgets to breathe.

No doubt about it--sure, he changed, and he grew (and would you look at how well he did grow), but that profile, that bearing and that confidence, that’s Kurt Hummel’s signature.

_Oh my._

Kurt is singing, too, and Blaine is moved to his core by the purity and the mastery of his voice as he pays his tribute to the Beatles.

 _I’ve been looking everywhere for you_ , he thinks with a soft smile, _and there you are_.

“Careful with the drool, Hobbit.”

Blaine tears his eyes from Kurt to frown at the brunette who just talked to him. “Excuse me?”

The young woman eyes him, giving him a seizing look with a smirk. “I guess you’ll do.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Our table is the number 21, near the bar,” she continues, not paying attention to Blaine’s interrogations. “Treat him well, or I’ll find you.”

“Uh?”

“Wow, thank God you’re pretty,” she says, taking him by the shoulders and pushing him towards the room. “Table 21, and my boy loves a good [Haute & Steamy](http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/haute-steamy/), just FYI.”

Blaine stops to smile at her. “Thank you.”

She seems startled by his words, and a blush appears on her cheeks. “Make sure you treat him well,” she repeats, and Blaine nods.

\--

Kurt returns to their little table, elated by his performance and impatient to watch the other contestants--and trying to keep his mind of Blaine--but he freezes before reaching it.

Because Blaine is sitting at his table, eyes glowing in the soft light basking the room, and there is a very appetizing glass on the table apparently waiting for him.

Though Kurt doesn’t quite know what is the most appetizing element at the table right now.

“Hello Kurt.”

Kurt smiles before he can stop himself and takes a seat next to Blaine. “Hello Blaine.”

Blaine lets out a breath. “I was worried you wouldn’t remember me.”

“It’s the tie,” Kurt says, nodding at it. “I remember how your mother favored the half-Windsor knot.”

Blaine reaches for said-knot with a small smile. “What a memory.”

“You did remember me,” Kurt points out before reaching for the glass. “Is it for me?”

Blaine raises his own [glass](http://blog.greatmate.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/old-fashioned.jpg). “Yes it is,” he replies, “to celebrate old friendships.”

“Hopefully renewed.”

“Hopefully.”

They clink their glasses, gazing into each other's eyes.

They don't even notice when Sam is announced as the winner--then again, the burgundy sash was his the moment he took his shirt off.

(For their joined bachelor party, two years later, Sam organizes a new beauty pageant, and the Warblers all participate--wearing a very peculiar [underwear](http://www.mensuas.com/underwear/petitq-pq8-east-side-thong-navy), for the grooms’ delight.

Kurt and Blaine are ex-aequo in this pageant, for the first time in their lives.

Not that they particularly mind, to be honest.)


End file.
